The Claiming
by buffyandspikefan
Summary: 9Rose, set after Doctor Dances, the Doctor must decide whether or not to make known his feelings for Rose when someone else wants her. Characters not mine, don't sue. Feedback is love!
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One:**

"So where are we again?"

"The third Greco-Roman empire of Paxil."

"Paxil? Like the anti-depressant?"

"Like the colony world you lot settled on one of the moons of Persus after the Earth got a bit too crowded." The Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS and breathed deep. "It's amazing this used to be devoid of life, totally unlivable, and with a bit of jiggery-pokery here and there, you turn it into this." He swept his arms wide, as if to embrace the lush landscape around us, his black leather whipping in the breeze. He grinned at me, blue eyes twinkling. "Sometimes you humans are absolutely brilliant!"

"Good to have around, eh?" I nudged him with my arm, grinning back. He took my hand in his and I smiled as I squeezed it. Ever since we ran into Captain Jack during the Blitzkreig and the Doctor witnessed a rival for my affections other than Mickey, he had become more attentive with me. Maybe that's why we got the former Time Agent to safety after his ship blew up and promptly dropped him off on the Pleasure Planet (his choice of locale) instead of inviting him along on our adventures. Not that I minded. I rather liked having the Doctor all to myself. "So are we going to see lots of people in togas?"

"Not hardly. It's the third Greco-Roman empire in name only. It's more of a title than a standard of living," the Doctor said, ushering me along the path leading to what I presumed was the main city. The colony worlds generally make up the rules as they go along, not too concerned with historic references."

"Here I was looking forward to a toga party," I joked.

As we neared the town, I was more than a little surprised. Instead of Greek or Roman columns, the buildings looked more like they came from the Americas old West, with a bit of China and Japan's architecture thrown in. The people wore long kimono-like robes over loose trousers. Spaceships roared overhead while the people walked, rode bicycles, or took what looked to be mass transit.

"It's like they took a bunch of time periods and mixed them up in a blender," I said.

A matronly looking woman noticed my gawking and smiled. "You be offworlders then?" she asked, her accent a hint of Scotch and Irish.

"That's us, a pair of travelers," the Doctor said. "I'm the Doctor, and this here's Rose Tyler."

"Come to trade in the market, I suspect," the woman said with a smile. "I'm afraid it's closed for the holiday, but it'll reopen tomorrow bright and early. The tavern should be able to put you and your wife up for the night."

The Doctor blanched. "She's not my wife."

"Here, you don't have to sound disgusted by that," I said.

"Och, begging your pardon, sir, you and your daughter, of course."

"No, no, she's not my wife or my daughter. She's just my traveling companion."

"We're friends," I put in, not wanting to sound like an employee or work colleague.

The woman looked taken aback. She looked me over. "You mean to say that you are unclaimed, child?"

I shrugged. "I'm not married or anything no."

"You're not a doxy either from the look of you." She took my arm and lowered her voice. "Here, you be careful, girl. There's men in this town that'll be looking to take advantage, regardless of whether you're an offworlder or not."

"You've never been down to the pub on a Saturday night," I laughed. "I'm used to a bit of manhandling, I can hold my own."

"Never you mind that, you keep a steady eye out," she said. "You without a Champion"  
With a tsk-ing noise, she bustled off.

"There's an odd duck," I said to the Doctor. "They not get a lot of unmarrieds 'round these parts?"

"I expect not," the Doctor said. "This is still a colony world, and there's still trying to settle this world. That means repopulation, and women are probably a minority here."

"So I'm going to be popular," I said. "After all of these years..."

"Let's go 'round to the tavern, shall we?" he asked, holding an arm out.

I took it. "Let's."

**Chapter Two**:

The tavern seemed to be the place where all of the townspeople gathered, the rich and the poor. It was packed to overflowing, and all eyes turned to stare at us as we walked in. Apparently, strangers were a rarity around these parts.

The Doctor went up the tavern wench manning the bar. "We'd like a meal and two rooms, please."

The woman barely looked up at him. "We've only got the one room left upstairs. Besides, what you needin' two rooms for, your servants?"

"No, one for me and one for my companion." The Doctor gestured to me.

"All's we got is the one," the woman said.

The Doctor sighed. "I'll have to park the TARDIS in the room anyway, so I suppose it'll have to do. I'll make sure not to run the engines to disturb you, Rose."

"You're too kind," I said, a little miffed that he didn't even entertain the idea of us even sharing the same bed. It's not like he ever slept...

"And how you going to be paying?" the tavern wench asked.

"What's it say here?" the Doctor asked, holding up the psychic paper.

The woman read it and then looked over the Doctor's shoulder. "Oi! Prefect Tennyson, these two say to put their food and lodging on your tab."

I took in a deep breath as a gorgeous man made his way to us. He had wavy blonde hair, eyes bluer than the Doctor's, and built like Captain Jack. "I'm sorry, do I know you?"

"What's this tell you?" The Doctor held up the psychic paper again.

The gorgeous man read it and looked up at the Doctor, then back down at the paper again. "Chancellor Smith, of course! It is our pleasure to have a representative from the Horsehead Nebula here to visit. But you'll not stay in a common place like this, you'll stay at my home and dine with me."

The barmaid harrumphed at the notion of the tavern being common.

The Doctor grinned. "You're a good mate, Prefect Tennyson," he said, slapping him on the back exuberantly.

The Prefect turned to me. "Call me Seth, please. And Chancellor, aren't you going to introduce me to your lovely wife?"

"This is Rose Tyler, and she's my companion, not my wife or my daughter," The Doctor said, as slight edge to his voice as the Prefect bent at the waist to kiss my hand. I felt myself blush.

"Welcome, Rose Tyler. A beauty such as you remains unclaimed?"

"Just lucky I guess," I quipped.

"Lucky for me," Seth said, and tucked my arm into his. "Come. Let me take you to my home."

**Chapter Three**:

The Doctor had glowered all through the five-course meal. Seth was a witty conversationalist, and I found I was enjoying myself despite Mister Stick-in-the-Mud next to us. Really, if the Doctor wanted to be jealous, then he was going to have to "claim" me as these people said. He had made it abundantly clear that we were just friends, that there was no attachments between me and him. Then if some hot man on a distant planet found me attractive, the Doctor would just have to deal with it.

"So I said, 'That's not a horse, that's a zebra!" he said, and laughed. I joined in, not exactly getting the joke.

The Doctor cleared his throat and stood up. "If you would excuse us, Seth, I have some calibrations to run on my ship."

"Why don't you move your ship onto my grounds?" Seth said. "I won't mind and then you can still inspect the market in the morning."

"Alright." The Doctor walked over to me. "Come on, Rose."

"I'll keep Miss Tyler company, don't you worry about her," Seth said jovially. "I know how women can get underfoot on a ship."

I stifled a glare when I saw how put out the Doctor was that Seth was trying to keep me away from him. "Rose?"

I smiled. "I'll be fine. You only ever want to fix the TARDIS by yourself. Go have fun tinkering about."

With one last jealous glance back, the Doctor stalked out of the room.

Seth gave me a smile. "Your traveling companion is a strange man"  
"You have no idea."

He laughed. "How long have you been traveling with him?"

I shrugged. "Hard to say. Feels like forever, feels like only a few days."

"Do a lot of traveling on strange worlds?"

"Very strange."

"And the Chancellor always seems to know everything about them?"

I laughed. "Sounds like you've been traveling around with 'im."

"All of us politicians are the same. Act like we're the fount of knowledge of the cosmos. But what I don't understand about him," he leaned forward. "Is how he can travel for forever or only a few days with someone as lovely as you and not claim them."

I blushed. "He isn't interested in claiming me like the way you mean."

"He prefers the company of men, then?"

"No, he's just...not interested."

"But to not lay any guardianship claims at all..."

"I'm 19!" I said defensively. "I don't need a guardian!"

He smiled wolfishly. "So you are a free agent then?"

Something about his tone put me off. "I suppose so."

"Excellent."

Before I knew it, he was grasping me around the shoulders and kissing me, hard. I pushed back, trying to escape his clutches. "What the hell are you doing?"

"You have no father or brother to broker a claim with, nor are you already claimed by a man, so you are a free agent to do with as one wishes. You're not even a doxy to negotiate funds with."

"It doesn't work like that, you just can't have your way with someone because they're not married or have relatives!" I said hotly. "And I'm no submissive little mouse like you're apparently used to on this world."

His wolfish smile widened. "I'm counting on it."

He grabbed me by the hair of the head, trying to pull me to the ground. I screamed as I felt hair rip out and did the one thing every woman knows to do in this kind of situation - go for the goods.

He screamed and crumpled to the floor. I stood up, holding onto my hair.

"Some wankers just won't take no for an answer," I said.

"What the bloody hell is going on in here?" The Doctor stood in the doorway, dark blue eyes blazing.

"This sodding git decided to take advantage of the fact that I've got no man," I said.

"Well, she does, she's got me," the Doctor said to him.

The Prefect got up, still holding himself. "But you haven't laid any claims to her. Therefore, I lay claim to Rose Tyler."

"Well, you can't."

"By whose account?"

"On account of I saw her first!" the Doctor said triumphantly. "I'm the one who found her, I'm the one who she's been traveling around with, and I've saved her life multiple times! If she belongs to anybody, it's me."

"Here, I saved your life the first time we met!"

He looked at me. "No, I saved you from the autons the first time we met. Then you saved me."

The Prefect frowned. "Then you are challenging me for the claim of Rose Tyler."

"Yes."

The Prefect bowed. "Then we will duel in the towne square for all to bear witness. I assume swords are acceptable?"

The Doctor nodded.

Then we will convene in one hour. Good day to you, Chancellor Smith. Rose Tyler." He bowed and walked out the door.

I clutched the Doctor's arm. "Let's on the TARDIS and get the hell out of here before you get yourself killed"  
"What's that supposed to mean?" He looked affronted.

"You can't fight a duel!"

"Why can't I?" His eyes were turning a steely blue.

"You're not a fighter, for one!"

"Are you saying you don't trust me to fight to defend your honor?" Now he looked angry with me.

"Have you gone off your nut? Fight to defend my honor, what the hell does that mean? Let's just get out of here."

His hand clamped down on mine. "We're not running and hiding. We're facing this head on. The both of us." And with that, he turned and walked out, taking me along with him.


	2. Part Two

_This is the end, unless the readers would like to see it turn into a series and how the series changes according to these events. Any interest? Feedback is love!_

**Chapter Four:**

"You nutter!" I exclaimed, as the Doctor and I edged to the town square, where a crowd had already gathered. The Prefect worked fast. "You don't have to do this!"

"Yes, I do." The Doctor's voice was resolute.

"Why? Is it this one of those man tests of your testosterone?"

He fixed me with his dark eyes. "First you think I can't dance, then you think I can't defend you."

"This is about what I think?"

He ignored me and stepped into the circle of people. "I'm here. Let's have at it then."

The Prefect stood in the center of the circle, shirtless, with what looked like samurai trousers. He held a sword. "You have all come to bear witness to the claiming of Rose Tyler." The crowd murmured consent, and someone shoved me to the center, so that I stood in front of everyone. "She will leave with the victor, to be his and his alone."

"Not unless it's the Doctor," I mumbled, keeping a wary eye on the crowd.

The Doctor stripped off his leather and tossed it to me, his shirt following suit. I took a moment to gawk and then pulled my eyes away when the Prefect gave me a sharp look and tossed the Doctor a sword.

"We follow gentleman's rules, here, Chancellor," the Prefect said.

"Never mind the Chancellor rubbish, the Doctor is fine."

"Doctor, then. We do not go for the kill. You must draw blood from your opponent three times to win claiming rights. Judge Blakeney will keep score. Are you in accord?"

The Doctor nodded.

"Very well." The Prefect stood at ready. "En garde!"

My breath caught in my throat as the swords flashed. I expected cheers and jeers from the crowd, but everyone remained silent, as if watching golf or a tennis match. The only sounds were my own heart pounding and the clanking of metal to metal.

The Doctor seemed to block the Prefect's hits, and then I saw his sword miss a parry and the Prefect's carried through, to pierce his shoulder.

"First blood to Prefect Tennyson!" the judge said, and the crowd all clapped politely.  
I gasped as blood began to run down the Doctor's shoulder. He met my eyes for the briefest of moments, and then looked away quickly.

The swords clashed again, this time with a bit more power. The two opponents meant business. The crowd murmured softly amongst themselves, obviously noticing something was up.

Tennyson's sword broke away from the Doctor's and scored his side. More polite clapping came from the crowd, and I rushed forward toward him.

His eyes flashed blue fire and he gave his head the barest of shakes, warning me off. The Prefect noticed my movement and frowned.

The judge took me gently by the arm and led me back. "Prefect Tennyson has drawn blood for the second time! One more time and claiming rights of Rose Tyler go to him."

My eyes locked on the Doctor's. I didn't want to go with the Prefect. How had we gotten into this situation?

The Doctor gave me a slight smile, and put one hand on his side. He stood a bit straighter, and held the sword at attention.

Tennyson took a step back, like he didn't know what to make of this sudden burst of confidence.

The swords crashed together again, this time the opponents moving in a circle as they dodged, parried, and thrusted. The Prefect was beginning to sweat, but the Doctor's face was a mask of determination.

Crash, crash, and then...

"The Doctor has drawn blood for the first time!" the judge said, and the crowd clapped politely again as the Prefect's cheek began to bleed.

My heart leaped.

Tennyson wiped away the blood with a lock of shock, and then his lips went into a thin line and he held his sword at the ready.

The sword movements were gaining power, and I heard a few people in the crowd make worried noises. They weren't supposed to kill anyone, but it was starting to feel like things were getting out of hand.

Slash!

Blood welled down the Prefect's chest.

"The Doctor has drawn blood for the second time!" the judge said, and this time the announcement was met with hardier applause and a few cheers. The Prefect glared. Either he was not well-liked, or everyone liked a good underdog story.

"It is anyone's win now," the judge said and both opponents glared at each other.

"Come on, Doctor, you can do this!" I said under my breath, crossing my fingers. "Come on!"

They really went for each other this time, grunting every time the swords bashed against each other, a few times getting locked up in their struggle to get at each other. The Prefect went for the Doctor's head, and an audible whoosh could be heard as he ducked it. Me and the rest of the crowd gasped.

The Doctor tilted his sword up and...

"Last blood goes to the Doctor!" the judge yelled, and cheers and claps could be heard all around. I tore away from the judge and jumped into the Doctor's arms.

"Blimey, you were fantastic!" I said, throwing my arms around him, forgetting the injuries until he grunted in pain. "Sorry."

"I'll take pain for your enthusiasm," he said with a grin. "You'd better be thrilled, Rose Tyler, since this was all for you."

"Here's a kiss for my Champion," I said, giving him one on the cheek. He dropped the sword, it thunking to the ground, and turned my chin toward him, giving me a long, passionate kiss on the mouth that stunned me.

By the time my rational mind caught up to what was going on and what it could mean, the judge was prying me away, chuckling. "Here now, that's enough of that. There's a bit to do before the Claiming."

"What?" I stuttered, as he motioned to a group of women who dragged me away from the Doctor's astonished gaze.

**Chapter 5**:

I was ushered into a small room with a bath above a storefront.

A matronly woman looked me over. "Preparing for a Claiming, eh? Who won, the gentleman you came here with or the Prefect?"

"My friend, the Doctor," I said, watching as the other women with me began sprinkling what look liked bath salts into the steaming water and laying out some sort of garment.

The matronly woman studied me. "And that's who you be wantin' to claim ya? Your friend, the Doctor?"

I nodded. "Yes."

She smiled. "Well, then that makes everything fine. We have ways of working around it if'n ya didn't want him, ways of makin' a man turn down a rightfully earned Claiming."

I nodded as if I knew what she was talking about. It helped to know that the women weren't totally powerless in this society, if they didn't want the man they were sent to, they had some sort of trick to get out of it.

Me, all I wanted was to get off this crazy world and continue on my travels with the Doctor.

And maybe have another kiss like the one he had just planted on me.

"Now you have this bath and you can change into these robes after," the matron said, pointing to the garment laying over a chair nearby. "The maids will take you to your husband's rooms when you're finished."

"No, you see, he's not my husband, we just travel together," I explained for what felt like the millionth time.

The matron chuckled. "Not anymore, lovie. That whole sword fight in the town square, that is your marriage ceremony. One of those two men get you for their wife, your Doctor just gets the first go at it. If'n he decides he doesn't want you, you go to the Prefect. So if it's the Doctor you be wanting, I suggest you make sure he takes his claim." And with that, she walked out the door, leaving me staring open-mouthed after her.

I took my time in the bath, wanting to sort out all of the conflicting thoughts running through my mind. I had just dressed in what was laughably called 'robes' by these people, it was actually a strip of white transparent cloth that draped across my shoulders and down my front, creating a large v that came together under my belly button, and another sheer cloth that went around my waist and barely covered my bum, when the maids walked in.

The matron met me and the maids at the bottom of the stairs. "Before we take you to him, do you be having any questions about what is expected of you?"

"How do you mean?"

"Your wifely duties, child. What a man expects of a woman."

"Oh!" I blushed hotly. "No, that's alright. I think I've got that down, thanks. Not that I do that a lot," I quickly amended. "I just...um...know."

She winked. "Good for you. It's always better to know before the Claiming, the poor girls that don't are usually so half scared out of their minds that they can't even enjoy themselves."

"Right." I don't think I wanted off a planet as badly as I did then.

"Here we go then," she said, and opened the door.

The entire town had turned out to see me half-naked. I know I blushed furiously as the maids led me down the road, the townspeople throwing flower petals as I walked. If it was all so crazy, it just might be a bit romantic.

We came to a small house at the end of town that reminded me of a Japanese pagoda. The doors slid open to reveal a small living quarters with silk and satin pillows all over the rugs, and a small table with assorted fruits, cheeses, wines, and other foods laid out. Soft, muted music played from somewhere and the lighting was a dim, romantic glow. In fact, everything had the look of a honeymoon suite.

I walked past the spread and followed the trail of flower petals (big on flower petals, this lot) and slid open the doors that lead to the bedroom.

I stood, silhouetted in the doorway, looking in at the room that was mostly made up of a big bed, again with satins and silks, and saw who was sitting on the edge of the bed, head in his hands, fully clothed again, posture screaming of how uncomfortable he was.  
The Doctor glanced up at me. "Rose! You're a sight for sore eyes, I was worried where they ran you off to." He came over to hug me, seemingly unaware of my half-naked state and apparently healed of his injuries. "They've locked up the TARDIS, said that we could have it back in the morning after the Claiming's been decided. I don't know about you, but I've had enough of this rock, and I'm ready to move along." He stopped babbling long enough to notice what I was wearing. "Blimey, what are you wearing?"

"My wedding dress, apparently," I said.

He stared. "Come again?"

"Didn't they explain everything to you?"

"Not as such, no," he said with a wry grin.

"Wow. I know something you don't. Allow me to savor the moment," I said, returning his smile. "Well, Mister Know-it-All, that little display of manliness earlier was in fact, our wedding ceremony."

The smile faded. "I beg your pardon?"

"You heard me. The Claiming 'round these parts is a wedding ceremony. You won, so you get first dibs on me. If you decide to opt out, I go with the Prefect. And I really don't want to go with the Prefect, so it looks like you're stuck with me."

"So we're married?"

"It appears so."

He gave a sarcastic laugh. "Well, I can't guarantee I'll be any better at it this time around."

"Whatcha mean, this time' round?" I asked, in shock. "You've been married before?"

He pulled a face. "Rose, I'm 900 years old. You think I've never been married once in those 900 years?"

I shrugged. "So you're not married now?"

"Well, apparently I am," he said, motioning to me.

"No, I mean, before this."

He gave me a small smile. "No, I wasn't married up until we came to this planet."

I sat down on the bed next to him. "So what happened"  
"You know me, I don't do domestic. I like to travel, see the universe. I'm not the settling down to a house and a job and an ordinary life kind of bloke."

"Who wants an ordinary life? I hated my dead-end job and I certainly didn't want to worry about a mortgage."

He grinned. "TARDIS is bought and paid for."

"There you are then! No domestic squabbles for us," I joked. Was it strange that neither of us had mentioned the fact that we could just ignore this strange marriage if we wanted? Pretend it never happened?

I nudged him. "Can you imagine the look on my mum's face when I tell her you're her son-in-law?"

He scowled. "I'd get more than slapped, I'd probably get my a solid left hook to the face!" He crossed his arms. "No, no, you're telling her, I'm not going anywhere near her."

You're telling her. My heart skipped a beat. "Mickey's going to flip," I said, nonchalantly.

The Doctor grinned. "Now him I will tell." He took my hand in his. "If I had to get accidentally get married on another world, I'm glad it's you I'm with. Who better to end up with than your best mate?"

"Thanks," I said softly. Mates? Is that all we were?

He took my mood differently. "Oh, Rose, don't worry about it. No one has to know about this 'claiming' other than the two of us. We just have to hang about here until the morning, and you know I'll be the proper gentleman..."

"Shut up," I said, leaning over to grab his shirt and pull him to me to kiss him. I expected him to pull away, but he just took hold of my shoulders and kissed me back.

"What are you doing?" he said, seeming to come to his senses and push me away, but gently and almost hesitantly.

"Kissing my husband on our wedding night," I said softly. "They dressed me to seduce you, and if you decline, I go with the Prefect. You don't want me to go with the Prefect do you?"

"No." His dark blue eyes glittered with heat.

"You want me to stay with you, travel with you, right?" I put my hand on his leg.

"Yes." His voice sounded hoarse.

I slid my hand up, moving again so that we were but a breath away from each other. "You want me, don't you?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper, hoping, praying, that I would get the answer I so desperately needed to hear.

He swallowed hard, his gaze running up and down my body, resting on my lips, so close to his own. "Yes." His voice was heavy with desire.

"Then I think you'd better claim me," I said, and our lips crashed together.


	3. Sequel Note

Are you interested in a sequel to this fic? Well, go check out The Blaidd Drwg in Boom Town, it'll be under my pen name. If this story takes off, I may do a 'revisiting' type of fic with each episode, seeing how the Doctor and Rose being married changes things. It could especially change things with the regeneration...we shall see if this new fic takes off. Thanks for reading and be sure to give the sequel a try! 


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